Sunday, August 16, 2009

Road built to ease congestion from foreign workers' dorm at Serangoon Gardens, but residents now say:Why spend $2m on road?
THEY didn't want a workers' dormitory in their estate and petitioned the Government against it.

By Desmond Ng
16 August 2009

THEY didn't want a workers' dormitory in their estate and petitioned the Government against it.

The Serangoon Gardens residents complained, citing reasons from potential social problems to security issues in their estate.

They also pointed out that with vehicles fetching workers to and from work, there would likely be traffic congestion.

So a 400m slip road - costing $2 million - to bypass the estate was built.
And what do the residents think of it?
Madam H S Tan, 61, spoke for most when she questioned if there was a need to spend so much money on a road, when a simpler solution would be to relocate the temporary dorm elsewhere.

The retiree added: 'It doesn't make sense. Why spend the extra $2 million when you could use the money to furnish other disused schools elsewhere to house the workers?
'Why not convert this school into a bazaar, or even an international school?'

Another resident, Mr Gerald Lim, 48, said that while the new road will help to divert traffic congestion going into Serangoon Gardens, especially during peak hours, it's a 'small respite', because 'the dorm will still be there'.

'There's no point discussing about the dorm because nothing is going to change,' said the businessman, whose family has lived there for about 10 years.

The access road - located right after the CTE exit at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1 - opened earlier this month with little fanfare.

The dorm - a retrofitted school - has been slated to open in October. It will house male and female workers from the manufacturing and services sectors.
Many of the workers living in the dormitory will probably come from the hospitality and healthcare sectors.

They may include Chinese nationals, Malaysians and Filipinos.
Maxi Consultancy has been appointed to operate the dorm and will start retrofitting the school this month, according to a Straits Times report on 15 Jul.

The operator will provide a range of facilities, such as a mini-mart and canteen to minimise the need for the workers to access amenities outside the dormitory.

Shuttle buses will transport the workers to MRT stations during weekends and public holidays.
Residents whom The New Paper spoke to were surprised that the access road was completed so quickly - in under 10 months - after the idea for it was announced by the Ministry of National Development (MND) last October.

Complaints The road may be completed, but the complaints remain, including issues of security and safety, rowdy behaviour, competition for the use of common facilities and yes, traffic congestion.

Some residents had pointed out that Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1 is already jammed during the morning peak hours, with motorists using it to avoid the electronic road pricing charges on CTE.

Having more vehicles along that road will only worsen the situation, they said, according to a Straits Times report last October.

Madam Tan, whose family has lived in the estate for over 20 years, said: 'It's not that we're trying to be high and mighty here but with the dorm right outside our houses, there will be some social problems.

'And when that happens, who has to deal with it?'

Retiree Mr K C Liew, 60, still fears that the property value of his terrace house will fall once the dorm opens. He has lived there for about 10 years. 'The security issue is still there,' he said.

There are about 4,000 households in Serangoon Gardens.
Residents of this ageing estate of landed properties first heard of the Government's plan to site the dorm in their neighbourhood last September.

Some 1,600 of them signed a petition against the dorm and gave it to National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan.

The Ministry said a month later that it would still go ahead to convert the disused school - former Serangoon Gardens Technical School - into a dorm, but the residents' concerns would be considered.

For starters, the dorm will accommodate 600 workers at most in the beginning- any increase in capacity after that is subject to the approval of the MND.
As far as numbers go, it's certainly not the biggest.

For example, Avery Lodge, a six-storey foreign worker dormitory in Jurong, can house up to 8,000 workers, according to a Straits Times report in April.

The Serangoon Gardens access road was included in the plans to ease traffic congestion and to reassure the residents there that their estate would not be overrun by foreign workers.
Access to the dorm would also be limited via one gate, and security guards would be hired to patrol the site.

The site boundary will also be pushed back to create a buffer between the dorm and the housing estate.

After these measures were announced, some residents were still unhappy.
Some had complained about the possible noise and pollution from buses that will be plying on that road.

Others noted that none of the solutions tackled the basic concern - that of residents having to deal with 600 new foreign dwellers coming into their estate.

Blur motorists turn into slip road despite 'No Entry' signTHIS new two-way road was supposed to alleviate traffic congestion into Serangoon Gardens.
But the slip road - located after at the CTE exit to Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1 - appears to be causing some confusion among drivers.

Some drivers, wanting to exit into Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1, have mistakenly turned into the slip road, which is for authorised vehicles only.

When The New Paper was at the access road on Wednesday afternoon, we saw two cars making wrong turns into this slip road within a span of 10 minutes.
Madam H S Tan, a retiree, said she made a wrong turn there last week because of inadequate signage.

This despite a 'No Entry' sign with a 'Except Authorised Vehicles' sign below.

Madam Tan lives at Tai Hwan estate, just next to the dormitory.
'It's situated too close to the expressway and there are no signs to indicate that it doesn't lead into Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1,' she said.

'I've seen many cars making wrong turns into that road.'
Another resident, Mr Thomas Lim, 56, said: 'It's dangerous. I've seen cars braking suddenly because they've turned into the wrong road.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

THE STRAITS TIMESFeb 17, 2009Goodbye to mall at Serangoon GardensOver 100 people gather to bid FairPrice outlet farewell; revamped mall ready by 2010By Jessica Lim & Leow Si Wan FOR 35 years, Serangoon Gardens residents have been shopping at the FairPrice supermarket at the Serangoon Gardens Village complex.

They are so familiar with the place that they know the names of all the staff, give them Chinese New Year cookies and souvenirs from overseas, share recipes and even linger after grocery trips for lengthy chit-chats.

But those days are over - albeit temporarily - as the mall was shuttered earlier this month. In an unprecedented move, the FairPrice supermarket chain staged a farewell party yesterday for staff and customers in which more than 100 people showed up.

Cameras clicked, shrieks rang out, tears flowed, and at the end of the two-hour event, all present joined in for a chorus of Auld Lang Syne.

Apart from throwing the party, FairPrice took another unusual step: It will pull out all the stops to help residents sort out their grocery needs till the supermarket returns next year.

It will launch a free shuttle bus which will take passengers from five pick-up points in the neighbourhood to the Hougang Point FairPrice outlet, a 20-minute drive away.

The chain will also widen the selection of food available at its FairPrice Express store at the Esso station along Lorong Chuan to help residents out, said FairPrice managing director Seah Kian Peng.

The moves could not come sooner for residents affected by the closure of the supermarket, which opened in 1974.'There is no other supermarket nearby,' said retiree Sally Tan, 67, who lives a 10-minute walk away from the Serangoon Gardens Village complex at Portchester Avenue, where the store used to be.

'Now I have to lug heavy bags of rice back from Ang Mo Kio.'Along with the supermarket, about 30 other shops and eateries were closed as the mall within which they were housed, and the old Paramount Theatre will be renovated.

Businesses in the area said the closure affects them. Some said customers from all around the island used to patronise the mall because it was the centre of the laid-back culture of Serangoon Gardens, with cafes and convenience stores.

With it gone, takings at nearby shops have dropped. The owner of Serangoon Gardens Hainanese Roasted Chicken & Duck Rice, MrLeong Mun Chong, 53, said business has fallen by 40 per cent since the mall shut.Mr Leong, who used to sell 100 plates of chicken and duck rice daily, said: 'In the past, people would go to the supermarket to shop, then to my stall to eat. Now they don't even come.'

But other retailers in the area said business was fine. The Cold Storage Speciality outlet at Serangoon Garden Way has seen an 'increase of more than 20 per cent in customer count' since the FairPrice outlet closed, said its spokesman.

Store owners at the wet market have also seen their business rise.'This is a chance for us to get more customers,' said vegetable store owner Jimmy Koh, 36.'But I wish there was no shuttle bus to take the customers away from Serangoon Gardens.'Refurbishment work on the new mall will start next week, said developer Edmund Chye, 46, whose late father owned the Paramount Theatre, which was located at the site.The $40 million revamp will see a spanking new building that will be opened by the third quarter of next year, and will include a new FairPrice outlet and a DBS Bank. The other tenants are being finalised, said Mr Chye.

Friday, December 26, 2008

Business @ AsiaOne Private properties looking attractiveWhat to look out for when hunting for that perfect condo or house.Fri, Dec 26, 2008my paperBy Shila Naidu

THE recession has resulted in a 25-per-cent fall in private- property prices from their market peak, and with prices expected to dip further next year, there may be opportunities to pick up some bargains.However, buyers of properties - whether for investment or occupancy - should do their homework before committing to such big-ticket items.Here are 10 tips to keep firmly in mind.1 CONSIDER LANDEDThe executive director of HSR Property Group, Mr Eric Cheng, feels that if buyers are willing to fork out $1.2 million to $1.3million for a condominium, they should consider buying landed property instead.Due to land scarcity in Singapore, there is always more demand than supply for landed property, which is not the case with condos, said Mr Cheng.2 INSTALMENT RESERVEMr Cheng said it is important to invest within your means. Have a reserve of at least one year's worth of instalments in case of shocks, like a loss of income.3 LEASING OR LIVING?Mr Arvin Sylvester Lim, division director of Century 21 SHL Realty, said it is important to be sure if you plan to live in the property or rent it out.If you are making it your home, the equation is simple: Find something that you like and can afford.If you are looking to invest and rent out, do your research to see if there is good demand in an area, and if the rent will be enough to cover the instalment payment and still allow a profit.4 DON'T WAIT TOO LONGWhile one should hold back until one finds something ideal, Mr Lim does not encourage overspeculating on trends."Buying a house is not like buying a car. The moment you drive the car...the value drops, but with property the value can go up or down," he said.Even though prices are expected to fall further, "a home is a must", Mr Lim said. He advises against pegging buying one to unpredictable market movements.5 MAKE OFFERS FASTBuyers who bought too many properties or can't afford to keep up with payments, given the weak economy, will be selling off their investments now, said Mr Shannan Govindarajoo, marketing manager at ERA.He suggests you start looking and making reasonable offers as he thinks more buyers will be entering the market, which could mean prices for these "must-sell" properties may rise.6 CHECK MASTER PLANLook at the Urban Redevelopment Authority's master plan and invest where the Government is pumping in money, said Mr Govindarajoo.For instance, he thinks those interested in the Marina area should strike now, as prices are down by 40 per cent, compared to last year's.Mr Lim said investing in property in that area will reap great returns when the integrated resort is ready as "a lot of the management staff will be living there, so rentals will be high".7 SHOP FOR A LOANBanks are now becoming more cautious with making home loans and how much they are willing to lend, said Mr Govindarajoo.He advised shopping around for a good home loan first, so that you do not commit yourself to a seller before knowing how much you have to work with.8 PRICE VS VALUATIONCheck the valuations of the property you are considering at different banks to make sure you?re getting a good deal, said Mr Govindarajoo.9 OLDER CONDOSMr Parthiban Sadagopal, a Prop- Nex realtor, suggests buying a condo "between seven and 10 years old in the outskirts", like Pasir Ris or Tampines.Judging from the trend seen after the 2003 recession, such condos are good buys for living in and investment, as you could hope to buy one at $400,000 to $500,000 now and sell it for up to $800,000 when the economy picks up.Renting it out could fetch $3,000 a month as well.

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

The eighties saw Singapore enjoying the fruits of the Government's efforts to green up the island. As Singapore made considerable progress on the economic front, so did its reputation as a Garden City. Meandering tree-lined roads interspersed with lush parks and gardens created a unique green ambience that drew accolades far and wide. Not one to rest on its laurels, the Government then embarked on a programme to fine-tune the green programme for quality as well as ensure efficient management of resources in maintaining this tropical oasis. As part of on-going efforts to enhance the island's green ambience, planting policies were focused on provision of shade along walkways and roadsides.

To create a garden effect, fruit trees, flowering and fragrant plants were planted in parks, residential suburbs, schools and in the grounds of institutions such as hospitals, police stations and community centres. Due to competing land uses for residential, industrial and commercial developments, creative urban planning came into play to ensure optimal usage of land.

Park planning had to factor in elements such as location of population centres and accessibility. At the same time, park designs had to be innovative, stimulate creativity as well as capture the imagination of the community. Where natural assets existed, they were capitalised upon and enhanced. Where they were lacking, much effort was put into creating an identity to provide a point of differentiation that will appeal to a wide spectrum of the population. This included installation of sculptures, challenging playgrounds and creating habitats to attract wildlife such as birds to the parks....for more information, please visit Singapore, The Garden City

Here in Serangoon Gardens Estate, we too have some parks and gardens to be proud of....

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

When I first saw this picture, it immediately gave me a very warm feeling about living here in Serangoon Gardens..... the friendly neighbourhood, a cosy 'village' with its laid-back charm. Maybe, a place where I would like to 'retire' some day.I don't know why...but there is a certain character about this estate, that keeps me wanting to come back for more.....Well, what do you think?